Advertisement

NECO: Late Registrar Loved By Staff, Disliked By Management, Board – Official

The late Professor Godswill Obioma had a cordial relationship with the workers’ union of the National Examination Council (NECO) due his good welfare plans for workers, THE WHISTLER has learnt.

But while he was loved by the members of staff of NECO, same could not be said of Obioma’s relationship with the management and board of the exam body.

A senior official of NECO who spoke to THE WHISTLER on the condition of anonymity, said the management and the board of the exam body disliked the Registrar, adding that they had a hostile relationship.

Advertisement

Obioma was the Chief Executive Officer and Registrar NECO until his sudden death on Tuesday.

The official said the late NECO boss “flowed with workers and union members,” adding that the relationship remained cordial while it lasted.

But the disagreement between the deceased and the governing board and management of NECO was said to have made the last one year in office a difficult period for him.

Speaking to THE WHISTLER in a phone conversation, the official also revealed that ethnic bias and power play within the NECO system was responsible for the disagreement.

“There has been a long-standing battle to remove him from his position and one cannot really tell those behind the plot,” said the official.

“He had just spent one year in office, but it had been loaded with trouble. They wanted to remove him — It’s like the northern people felt they should be the one in power.

“You know by appointment and criteria for qualification for that sit, the ministry has the right… or the presidency, so to say, has the right to appoint anyone.

“They felt that the only vacant place that is open and one region that has not been duly represented in the structure of the Ministry of qualification is the South East.

“So, the politics is just that they feel that because it was an Igbo person that was there previously, how can they pick another Igbo man.

“So, the contention has been there, and there have been grumblings that it had become obvious because of the power play going on within the NECO.

“There has been a long-standing problem between the management and the governing board but, the ministry that was supposed to strike a balance have been silent about it. We haven’t gotten any useful response from them,” the source spoke authoritatively.

Meanwhile, since the news of Obioma’s death broke out, conflicting reports have trailed the cause of his death.

While initial reports claimed that he was strangled to death at his residence in Minna, Niger State, his son reportedly wrote the  NECO management to inform them that his father died after a brief illness.

Also, the Niger State Police Command said the “story is totally false”.

The state’s police spokesperson, ASP Wasiu Abiodun, said: “This story is totally false, untrue and a pure element of fake news circulating in some section of the social media and national dailies that NECO Registrar, Prof. Godswill Obioma, was murdered by unknown gunmen in Minna.

“It is important to state categorically that on May 31, the Registrar/CEO National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof. Godswill Obioma, was rushed to National Hospital, Abuja, by his family members where he was later confirmed dead, after a brief illness.

“Members of the public are hereby urged to disregard the fake news while news reporters are advised to always verify their report before publication to avoid creating unnecessary panic and fear in public domain,’’ Abiodun advised.

Godswill Obiomanational economic councilNECOWasiu Abiodun
Comments (0)
Add Comment

Advertisement